our story
In the rolling hills surrounding Nashville, Tennessee, Emily Sedall and Lizzie Urmy cultivated a friendship as enduring as the rivers both their fathers fished. United by their love for family, art, nature, adventure and social justice their paths have intertwined for over 30 years. After numerous discussions under starlit skies on their annual fishing trips they recognized their calling to start fly fishing therapy retreats.
Combining Liz's extensive background as an American Sign Language - English Interpreter, community organizer and Clinical Imago Relationship Therapist and Emily's years of experience as a fly fishing guide, community worker and artist, the vision for MEND gained depth and purpose:
to create an experience that seamlessly blends the art of fly-fishing with the tapestry of relational connection, focusing on the healing power of nature's therapeutic embrace.
Liz Urmy
Co-Founder
Imago Relationship Therapist, LMSW-C
Liz Urmy LMSW-C is a Certified Imago Relationship Therapist. She owns a clinical private practice in Ypsilanti Michigan. She is passionate about developing safe, loving relationships and helping others to do the same. Liz loves to combine her passion for fly fishing and the outdoors with her expertise in relationship therapy. Liz learned to fish with her dad at a young age and years later bought her first rig after moving to Michigan. Shortly after, Liz spent a summer chasing trout across Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, further anchoring her lifelong connection to the rush of rivers and allure of fish. Upon her return, she gravitated to the beautiful Au Sable River in northern Michigan. Fishing swiftly evolved into her sanctuary for relaxation and exploration - and the rest is history! It has been a dream come true for Liz to combine her passions through MEND. Liz is also a certified American Sign Language - English Interpreter and an amatuer bee keeper, gardener, weaver, and maple syrup maker. In her spare time, she loves to fish, camp, read, travel and relax by a fire with close friends and family.
734.359.6565
Emily Sedall
Co-Founder
Fly Fishing Guide
Emily Sedall is a professional fly fishing guide and co-owns a guide service with her husband in Aztec, New Mexico. She is passionate about facilitating authentic and sustainable relationships with the natural world through the practice of fly fishing and believes that through this practice people come to learn more about themselves. Since the age of 12, fly fishing has been a soul pursuit for Emily, and with the creation of MEND, she is thrilled to be able to share this passion with others. Emily also works as a Care Coordinator for members in her local community who live with disabilities. In this role, she advocates for equal access and each individual's right to live as independatly as possible while maintaining the dignity of choice. In her spare time Emily enjoys... fly fishing.
503.267.4414